Request information

Cusco South Valley: Pikillaqta a pre-inca city

13 May 2016

Pikillaqtais consideredtoday asone of thepre-Incamost famous andbest preservedcitiesthatexist in Peru.Itencuentraa30 Km.Southeast of thecity of Cusco,about3350meters high andcoversan area of approximately50hectares.

Background reference Wari Human Settlement

In the pre inka Lucre Basin was occupied by the Wari, thus achieving dominate the area, maintaining supremacy from Chelques-Paruro. In this regard, it indicates Ravines (1982) that the Wari before settling in Pikillaqta occupied Chelques.Al originally encompassed the sector established in the Lucre Basin Wari, its expansionist organization was limited to actions aimed at social, economic, political development , administrative, consistent with the development of cultural and local formations. The importance of Wari settled in urban planning and government thus attained a high degree of knowledge in engineering, lebantar achieving major architectural works designed under defined urban patterns that served as models for construction later cultures. Lumbreras (1982) notes that the Wari developed majestic works of engineering, evidenced in the high technology, organization and planning policy of state seal, forging a model of "culture city". Established according to defined primarily on the use of "urban block" architectural patterns.

Description of the archaeological site

The renowned Peruvian historian Alfonsina Barrionuevo refers to Pikillaqta as follows:. "The foot of the hill Wayllonqa, where is Pikillaqta, an ancient pre-Incan city, relumbran like gold in the sun The flowers light up the ruins whose empty streets , parking areas giants, two-story palaces and multifamily housing, are hundreds of lizards wearing their red gem heads. "

Pikillacta is a name assigned after the arrival of the Spaniards. His name in the incanato is unknown, but it is presumed that it was Muyuna (circling), Muyna or sulky. This place is now known as Wakarpay part of the complex that is Pikillaqta Peru sacred valley.

It is also known that the city of Cusco for the Quechua was something like "Mecca". Thus, each inhabitant of Tawantinsuyo was like a dream to visit at least once in their life "Cougar Town". Visiting this city simply gave them more than people, for example, level if two people coming from distant places and were traveling in the opposite way, the person who had visited Cusco was recognized and greeted him with respect by whom he had not visited yet. Today east of the paved road at kilometer 35 (mile 22) is the Rumiqolqa (roumia = stone, qolqa = store) very famous in the times of the Incas because from there the andesite which was used to build the most important buildings was quarried of the city of Cusco. Today, the mine still operates, and the substructures are completely disturbed.

Parties that make up the Archaeological Center Pikillacta

Pikillaqta City:

Pikillaqta: is a sacred valley cusco is a sign of a great civilization, known for the extraordinary planning capability of its cities. This is the Wari culture, whose headquarters was in Ayacucho.Thanks to its large size, Pikillacta is considered among the sights of Cusco the main cities of ancient cusco Peru. It is surrounded by what were aristocratic villages located in front of the whole plain and Wakarpay gaps.Peruvian archaeologist García Rossell observed up to two different styles of architecture, stone walls edged and perfect walls of the purest Inca origin where it is considered the Inca stones valley. Possibly an Inca city on an ancient site rose, as a principal Wari.

Qaranqayniyuj:

In the city of Cusco Qaranqayniyuj This is the largest population after Pikillaqta. It is located east of the whole, in the very near the Vilcanota River in Peru cusco place.The buildings, some of which have a semicircular shape, were built in an irregular zone, so that a part is located in a natural hollow and the other on a plateau higher than the previous.

Choqepucjio:

Choquepucjio extraordinary ruins are one of the most important architectural expressions that are part of the great archaeological complex of Pikillaqta. They are located on the left bank of the river Watanay.Like all buildings of this place, the huge walls of two or three floors were made with stones of regular size and mix of mud, but the tops were made only of mud.

Urpicancha:

This place, whose name should mean something like "fencing with birdies place" was a very important area in Inca times that are tourist attractions of Cusco, and it has platforms of extraordinary quality, with superb assembling and without amalgam of any kind. It is located on a small plateau at the base of the mountain, east of the Wakarpay lagoon in the city of Cusco.

Kunturqaqa:

Kunturqaqa is no population, not a special group of platforms, it is simply a large rocky promontory projecting Watanay closing the valley. It is located west of the old town of Pikillaqta of the city of Cusco, on the left bank of the river Watanay.Its name translates as "Rock of the Condors" and is so named because the shape of the rock is shaped like the head of a condor. But what is the real significance of this place?The Victor Angles explains: "The place has historical content, there on the edge is almost at the Inca Wiraqocha sent paint two condors, one in submissive attitude with wings folded into a trance to escape from Cusco, the other belligerent as moving toward Cusco attitude, the first symbolizes Yahuar Huaca who left Cusco and took refuge in Choquepucjio, the second to Wiracocha that Chitapampa became sulky and turned on the city of Cusco to defend the chanca danger and got it.

Amarupata Platforms

Amarupata means "place of snakes", probably because these snakes abounded in the area. This is a huge set of platforms located in the city of Cusco one kilometer southeast of the town of Lucre in the foothills Qosqoqhawarina. The magnificent water channels are still in operation.

Cusco, one of the most touristic cities of South America, was the capital of the Inca Empire, an important cultural center of the Andes, Navel of the World, cultural center and axis of the Inca religious cult, and nowadays Archaeological Capital of America and Cultural Heritage of Humanity; many attractions to describe and perhaps little time to getting to ...read more (+)